Endocrine Abstracts

Objectives: To determine the habits and lifestyle of the morbidly obese before and after bariatric surgery.

Material and methods: Transversal study of two groups of morbidly obese patients attending the Endocrinology Unit of Puerta del Mar, Cádiz: one group before and the other after bariatric surgery. Clinical and analytical data of the patients was collected: socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics, Bulit-R Questionnaire (Bulimia), BIS (impulsiveness), BQ1 (body image), BAI (anxiety), BECK (depression) and quality of life through questionnaire SF12.

Results: 111 morbidly obese were studied before surgery (31.5% men, 68.5% women) and 87 morbidly obese post-surgery (29.9% men and 70.1% women). Before surgery mean weight was 133.4 (S.D. 24.4) and BMI 48.6 (S.D. 7.0), and post-surgery 94.9 (S.D. 19.8) and BMI 34.5 (S.D. 6.5). In both groups there was a predominance of primary and lower secondary education (25.8% of total); the greater proportion of subjects with a higher level of education was in the post-surgery group (3.6% vs 13%). Only 25% were actively in work before surgery, rising to 36.5% in the post-surgery group. Significant differences were observed between the two groups in relation to habits and lifestyle sucha as tobacco consumption (21.1 vs 7.1%), alcohol consumption (21.1 vs 17.4%), physical exercise (55 vs 82.6%), hours of physical exercise (4.75 hours/week vs 5.9) and increase in meals per day from 3 to 5. Family support is greater for the post-surgery group (90 vs 83.8%), excluding differences in professional support services (14%).

Conclusions: Significant differences were observed in patients’ habits and lifestyle before and after bariatric surgery; factors which could contribute to the care, prognosis and evolution of the patients. Social and family support is greater for post-surgery patients.